Say you want to buy a new blender. You go out to your local big-box retailer and spot something you like, at a reasonable price. But you wonder: Could a better deal be found online?
Frucall allows consumers to do a price check instantly from their mobile phone. The service recently introduced Frucall SmartAds, an advertising platform that embeds targeted ads in the calls.
When users call Frucall, they're prompted to enter a product's UPC barcode. The system then does a search and gives the shopper the best current online prices for that item from online aggregators like Amazon, Shopping.com and Yahoo! Shopping, which in turn represents hundreds of online merchants, says vice president of marketing Antony Milner.
SmartAds uses the shopper's telephone number and ZIP code to provide ads that are geographically sensitive and related to the item queried.
“In many instances, advertisers will want to reaffirm a particular query, so the advertising might tell you it would be a smart choice to buy that item,” Milner says. “Then there's the opposite: Presenting alternatives [to that item], including offer-based advertising.”
According to Milner, more than 25,000 people have tried Frucall, which is free to consumers. Users don't have to set up an account to participate. However, those with accounts can store information on previous searches and use the “buy now” option to order products through the service.
